It’s the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!! And just like last year (see our 2018 Summer Intentions), we wanted to put our intentions to paper because then maybe we’ll be held accountable for the things we want to work on over the course of the next few months. It’s a busy time. No two weeks are the same. The kids are in and out of camps, there’s no routine or consistent schedule and that puts our Type A/OCD/neurotic personalities TO THE TEST haha! No really, we’re a bit crazy (cute but pyscho?) so writing down some goals and attitude adjustments is just what we need right now. What do you want to accomplish this Summer? Let us know in the comments!
Heather
Start reading again: I haven’t read a book in MONTHS and I am embarrassed to even say that. I used to love reading.. it truly calms me, brings me joy, centers me when the day has been hectic and just brings me peace. I stopped for a few reasons but mostly because when I do find the time to read (during the boy’s nap) I usually end up falling asleep myself because I am just damn TIRED. And at night is when my husband and I get some quality time and we are usually watching Game of Thrones (only on season 4 don’t spoil it for me!). But I just need to be better about carving out time before I am too tired to read. Put the phone away (more on that later), stop trolling instagram and READ. Goal #1!
Take the morning off and spend quality time with the boys: I’ve been working on this one for awhile now but typically in the mornings, I get up, make breakfast, lunches if there’s camp, put on cartoons and allow the boys to self-entertain while I get work done, clean, catch up on emails, etc. With Summer here and the boys being at home with me, I find that that routine doesn’t work for them anymore. By 9 am they are like CAGED ANIMALS and I find myself losing it. So instead of the usual routine, I try to stay off my phone or computer for at least 30 minutes and prepare them for the day, play with them in the living room and get activities set up for them so they’re not clawing at me for attention 24/7. They get that little extra TLC from me, I drink my coffee on the couch with them and we just hang. It makes for a calmer mind and productive day ahead.
Social Media Silence at least 1x a week: I am not sure this one’s possible but my goal is to at least reduce my screen time by 50% from what it currently is. Our job is to be on our phones, responding to DMs, answering questions, linking our outfits etc. but by Sunday, I am usually burnt out. Trolling Instagram can get depressing if I’m being honest and while I know it’s just a highlight reel of everyone’s lives and not a true depiction of what’s truly happening behind the lens, I find myself going down rabbit holes and before I know it I’ve been on my phone for 2 hours (when I could have been READING instead!). So, Sundays are when I want to spend time with my family, do the things that make me happy and ignore social media. I can catch back up on Monday morning 🙂
Learn to say “no” more often and walk away from situations that do not serve me: I am going to leave this one a little vague but I want to work on saying, “no”… I don’t have FOMO (fear of missing out) and some say I have JOMO (joy of missing out) but I still say, “yes” to things I don’t necessarily want to do. Why? I don’t really know. It’s only by saying NO that you can concentrate on the things that are actually important. And as far as walking away from situations that do not serve me… this is more just knowing the fact that not everyone is always going to like me and I don’t need to make everyone like me. And I’m good with it. I read a quote that inspired this intention: If someone doesn’t approve of you, it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It simply means you’re on different paths in life and that’s ok. Your journey is yours to travel. So be true to you.
Alix
Enjoy outdoor activities with Quinn/Family: Summer in Seattle is everything. We endure pretty bad winters (remember… I’m from the OC, so for me it’s dreary), but summer here almost makes up for it 😉 Since Quinn will be out of school, and only signed up for a few camps here and there, we will be getting to spend a lot of time together. I’m trying not to view this as a stressor, but more as an opportunity to go on fun adventures together. I plan to take her to the zoo, beach, different parks, play dates, ferry rides, etc. I also hope we can go on more adventures together as a family on the weekends and enjoy these long summer days together.
Slow down: If you follow along on Instagram stories you might remember the saga of Quinn locking herself in the car (on the hottest day ever) last week. It was a beyond stressful situation, but also a really good wake up call. Slow.the.eff.down. I’m not having mom guilt over what happened..it was an accident on all parts, but I need to be more aware. Slow down. I need to take my time and make sure I always have my phone and keys on me in case of emergencies. I bought this key ring and love it so far. It fits over my wrist and makes it easy to find my keys in my purse. Beyond this specific situation, it’s also a good reminder to slow down in general because Quinn is growing up so fast and I often find myself wishing she was older and able to do x,y,z, but truth is I’m in awe of her and the little person she’s becoming. I want to slow down and savor this precious time with her.
Wear daily SPF/Hats I guess this might seem like an obvious goal for the summer time, but I just had my yearly skin check at the dermatologist and hearing him tell him assistant that I had “photo damage” on basically every part of my body was a little alarming and embarrassing TBH. I played soccer for 20+ years and I wasn’t wearing SPF for the majority of those years. While I can’t really reverse the skin damage on my body I can protect my skin so it doesn’t get worse. I’m good about wearing SPF on my face daily, and I have this SPF hand lotion by my front door to put on when I walk out the door. I just bought this SPF body lotion I plan to use in the morning focusing on my arms, chest, and legs. This lotion is also a great option.
Smarter spending If my husband is reading this he is rolling his eyes lol! I work during the school year one day a week and get a monthly paycheck that’s my “fun” money. Hello summer…goodbye paycheck lol! It’s making me think more about my spending and what I buy and why which is a good thing! I’ve been going through my closet more and more and selling stuff on Poshmark. This has me thinking about how often I get caught up in a “must have” trend and only wear something 1-2 x then get rid of. My friend made a good point the other day…she said “I now ask myself if this item will just end up on Poshmark if I buy it?” The reality is I basically live in workout clothes or jeans and a t-shirt. I’m pretty basic and simple and want to start shopping with a more minimalist mindset. If there is a cute trend I’m into I plan to always look first at stores like Forever 21, Nordstrom Rack, H&M, Amazon and Target that often have these trendy items (meaning they won’t be cool in 2 weeks, so don’t blow a lot of $$ on it) for like half the price. I also love this closet detox cheat sheet and this minimalist closet guide. I just need more active wear then it calls for 😉
And one goal we BOTH have is to carve out specific time to grow our blog and strategize on how we can increase engagement over the course of the next few months. A blog can’t grow unless we give it the attention it deserves and while we are so proud of what we’ve built thus far, we know this is just the tip of the iceberg for The Champagne Theory.
Thanks for following along this journey! And HAPPY SUMMER!
xx, H&A
